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Monthly Archives: June 2013

Spring means hitting the backcountry on horseback for me. A few years ago in the Spring a very good friend of mine and I headed out for an all day ride to make sure the trails were clear for others and to get the horses in shape for summer. The trails were in great shape, not much snow left. The heat wave had melted most of the snow in a matter of days. The fast snow meltdown this particular Spring also increased the flow of water down the streams and rivers we typically cross.

After making our plan on how and where to cross a treacherous area of one river we nudged our horses to step into the raging waters. My horse was bigger and stronger than my friends so he went first. Things were going great until his horse was halfway across the river. Now, surrounded by rushing waters on all sides and struggling to stay on his feet, the horse turned and looked down stream. Having lost sight of the landing point on the other side of the river, the horse and my friend started stumbling and the river began to sweep them away. My friend immediately lifted the horse’s head and turned it to the destination. Now, with a new focus on the landing point, the horse was able to recover and they made it safely to the other side of the river.

Before you start a new business or direction within your company, make a plan. Think through it carefully. Visualize the final outcome of this new venture. Plan for the best-case scenario and the worst-case scenario. Be clear. Be exact. Write down every detail. Remember, the plan is for you. It doesn’t have to be nicely formatted and printed on expensive paper. It just has to be specific.

In your plan, answer for yourself three questions.

The Mission

What is the mission of this new product, service, or company? Think of the mission as the purpose. Are you trying to change the way the world performs a certain task? Are you offering the world a less expensive or more efficient way to perform a task? Are you providing a service that proves to be more cost effective or thorough than someone trying to do this themselves? When you can answer one of these questions in a sentence or two you have written your mission statement. Yes, write it down. Immediately below it, write your vision.

The Vision

Your vision is nothing more than a statement of where you are going. Perhaps you are inventing a new, environmentally friendly mousetrap —your mission. Your vision could be to market and sell a portfolio of environmentally friendly rodent control products worldwide. Think big. This is not the time to worry about how you get there, but rather where you want to be. Write it down just below your Mission Statement. It should only be a sentence or two. Below your Vision Statement write your Goals.

The Goal

You have to be able to measure your progress so your goals must be specific, quantifiable, and achievable. For example, you may want everyone in the world to know about your new product. This goal would be too broad, difficult to quantify, and may not be achievable. However, you may set specific goals to write a press release and submit it to two online press services and call 20 editors who cover your products and services with a goal to schedule two interviews. Write down detailed lists of what you will do. After having accomplished every item on your list, collectively, they will accomplish your Mission and be a steppingstone towards your Vision.

Now that you have a clear Mission, Vision, and list of Goals, get going. As you work through the day-to-day tasks checking off each goal as you complete it, keep focused on your Goals and Mission. Each time you complete a task you are one step closer to your destination. Don’t get side tracked by something that looks fun and could easily be justified, but does not get you closer to achieving your goals and ultimately accomplishing your mission. Read your Mission, Vision, and Goals before you start each day. Read them as the last thing you do each day. Do not get disoriented by the rushing waters all around you and do not look downstream. Keep your head focused on the destination or you will be swept down the river.

Identified product roadblocks due to tight market, pursuing alternative direction and completing development and release of breakthrough software and hardware product that garnered interest from multinational companies.

Initiated sell-side M&A activity to strengthen visibility and credibility, heading $24M sale to major investor, gaining new business from key players, such as Pacific Bell, SBC, and France Telecom, and pushing quarterly revenue to $8M.

Outperformed large competitors during market struggle, executing company’s $1.2B sale to leading producer of modems.

Grew revenue from $60M to $120M in one year and achieved 40% hardware profit margin via product innovation strategies.

Lifted quarterly revenue $10M despite legal NASDAQ-related non-compliance issues by securing accounts in Europe and acquiring new software management technology that led to licensing agreements with AT&T and Siemens.

Set stage for acquisition by Motorola and growth to $90M by aligning capabilities and technology with rapidly changing conditions.

Led acquisition of software company and drove development over 12 months resulting in $3M license agreement by Bell South.

Turned around VC-backed technology solutions company, growing revenue from <$4M to $14M+ in five quarters while expanding margins from 18% to 28% by building high-quality sales/marketing organization, generating new business, and containing spend. Managed worldwide sales, marketing, and engineering team of 80 employees.

Recruited as co-founder by FlowPoint to overcome competitive barriers, elevating revenue from $500K to $7M+ in one year by building sales/marketing team, leveraging engineering talent, and devising plan to enter DSL space on multinational level.

Oversaw growth to $60M+ in 1999, steering negotiation of company’s sale to Efficient Network; remained on executive staff as VP of corporate marketing, strengthening promotional strategies and corporate image via new website and PR approach.

Transitioned into general management role for product division, proving vital in boosting sales to run rate of $500M in 2000.

Integral in company’s sale to Siemens to minimize impact of impending dotcom burst, assuming general management position for global broadband products; oversaw 150 direct reports and engineering/product development in Switzerland and Belgium.

Served on Broadband Forum contributing to standards-based software and hardware specifications.

Business Intelligence (BI) is the buzz word of today. Capturing business trends hidden in structured data and big data using analytical tools can deliver intelligence about where the business has been, where it is today, and when combined with predictive analytics, where it can be in the future. Even with all of this technology at our finger tips, individual experience and a track record of success are still critical assets for any business to succeed. Here is an introduction to Dano Ybarra — me — and my business intelligence.

Driving businesses to high visibility in competitive markets, I deliver strategies for rapid growth and sustainability. As a senior executive with 15+ years of experience in general management, marketing, sales, business development, start-up, turnaround, M&A activity, and product positioning, I seize emerging opportunities for long-term impact. Please consider:

• Outperformed large competitors during market struggle, executing company’s $1.2B sale to leading producer of modems.

• Set stage for acquisition by Motorola and growth to $90M by aligning capabilities and technology with rapidly changing conditions.

• Turned around VC-backed technology solutions company, growing revenue from <$4M to $14M+ in five quarters while expanding margins from 18% to 28% by building high-quality sales/marketing organization, generating new business, and containing spend.

My track record of closing business and my ability to build high-performing organizations and teams has resulted in profitability, expansion, and continuous innovation for previous employers. If your company can benefit from a world-class background, strong business acumen, and technical knowledge, I welcome the opportunity to discuss your needs. Thank you; I look forward to hearing from you.